Improvement in tossing-tubs for separating ores



UNITED. I STATES PATENT OFFICEo WILLIAM HOOPER, OF 'I'IOONDEROGA, NEWYORK, ASSIGNOR rIO NEW YORK ORE SEPARATOR COMPANY.

IMPROVEMENT I TOSSING-TUBS FOR SEPARATING CRES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 185,921, dated January2,1877; application filed April 27, 1876.

To all whom it may concer/n:

Beit known that I, WILLIAM HooPER, of Tieonderoga, in the county ofEssex and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Tossing-Tubs for Separating Orcs, which improvement is fully setforth in the following specification, reference being had to theaccompanying drawing, in which- Figure l represents a vertical centralsection. Fig. 2 is a side view.

Similar letters indicate corresponding parts.

This invention consists in a tub which is hung in journals, and in whichworks an agitator, which is secured to a shaft that can be raised orlowered, so that by raising the shaft together with the agitator the tubis free to be swung round on its journal for the purpose of dischargingits contents. A leverpawl, acting on a ratchetwheel which is mounted onone of the journals, serves to facilitate the operation of turning thetub. With the tub is combined a hammer, which is operated by a tappet-Wheel, and which strikes the side of the tub for the purpose ofproducing a shaking motion, whereby the separation of the lmaterials inthe tub according to their specic gravity is materially facilitated.

In the drawing, the letter A designates a tub, which swings on journalsa, having their bearings in suitable boxes b, attached to theframe-work. Said journals are secured in such a position that the tub isevenly balanced as near as possible, and that the same, when left toitself, will have no tendency to swing in either direction 5 but inorder to steady the tub a block, C, of wood may be placed under it, asshown in Fig. 2. One of the journals extends beyond" its journal-box,and on its outer end is mounted a ratchet-wheel, D, which is acted on bya lever-pawl, d, that connects by a rod, c, with a lever, E, so that therequired power can be applied for turning the tub on its journals whenthe same is charged. A stop-pawl, f, prevents the tub from swingingbackward while the same is being emptied. Above the tub A is situated across-bar, F, which slides in grooves g in the frame-work, and whichforms the bearing for a vertical shaft, G, which extends down into thetub, and carries on its lower end an agitator, H, said shaft beingprovided with collars h, one above and the other below the cross-bar F,so that it is prevented from sliding in the bearing of the cross-bar. Ajournal-box, t', secured to a fixed cross-bar, I, of the frame A, servesto steady the shaft G, and a revolving motion is imparted to said shaftby bevel-wheels j k, the bevel-wheel k being mounted on thedriving-shaft J, while the bevel-wheelj is feathered on the verticalshaft G, so that this shaft is free to slide therein. The agitator H andits shaft G are counterbalanced by a weight, K, (see Fig. 1,) so thatcomparatively little power is required to raise those parts clear of thetub 5 and since, by raising the shaft G, the cross-bar F is caused toslide up in the guide- -grooves g, the tub can be readily turned on itsjournals after said parts have been raised. On the side of the tub A,near its top edge, is situated a hammer.l L, which is secured to one ormore levers, M, swinging on pivots k. These levers are exposed to theaction of tappet-wheels N, so that rapid blows are produced against theoutside of the tub.

The water and ore are let into the tub'while the agitator H is kept inmotion, and by the action of the agitator the light parts of the ore arekept in suspense, while the heavy parts gradually settle down. Thehammer L is also set in motion, and thereby a shaking motion is impartedt0 the contents of the tub, whereby the separation of the heavyparticles of ore from the light particles is materially promoted. As theheavy particles of ore accumulate on the bottom of the tub the agitatoris gradually raised, and the operation is continued until the tub isfilled up to the desired point. Then the motion of the agitator isstopped, and the agitator-shaft, with its appendages, is raised clear ofthe tub, and the latter is turned on its gudgeons, for the purpose ofdischarging its contents.

By this arrangement the operation of the tossing-tub is renderedcomparatively easy, and the process of separating certain kinds of orcscan be accomplished with dispatch.

by Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination, with a tujb, A, which is hung on journals, of anlagitator, H, mounted on a shaft, which, together with its support, canbe raised4 clear of the tub, for the purpose of permitting the tub to beturned on its journals, substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination of the tub A, hung on journals, the agitator H,vertical shaft Gr, crossbar F, guide-grooves g, in which the cross-barslides, and a inechanisrlnlforraising thecrossbar and agitator,forprmitting the turning of l the tub on its journal, substantially asdescribed. i

In testimony that `Iclairn the foregoing I` u

